Vicious
by kawaiidragonfoe821
Summary: Summery: One of Mulder’s many nemeses from his past returns with a vengeance & the unrelenting pursuit of evil becomes all the more personal for Mulder when his quarry begins to hurt those closest to him. As always, please R&R.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I OWN nothing & CLAIM nothing!**

_Summery: One of Mulder's many nemeses from his past returns with a vengeance & the unrelenting pursuit of evil becomes all the more personal for Mulder when his quarry begins to hurt those closest to him. As always, please R&R._

Scully opened the door to their basement office & was greeted by an envelope as it fell to her feet. "Did you see this? It's addressed to you using..." "I know, my nickname, Spooky. I've been getting them for a couple of weeks now." He finished for her without taking his face out of one of the many tabloid magazines that he always picked up on his way to or from work. He always grinned bashfully when she told him that it was a useless waste of his money, _"You never know; we might find our next case in these pages."_ He would always reply. "& what about the letter? Aren't you even going to read it?" Scully asked again, Mulder opened his mouth to answer when their phone rang. "Saved by the bell!" Mulder said in dry enthusiasm as Scully picked up the phone. "Skinner wants to see us." She said uncertainly. "Mulder, some disturbing news came my way this morning, it concerns those three friends of yours. You need to meet Langley & Frohike down at Virginia Memorial right away."

"What _happened_?" Mulder asked, his grief taking over as Langley & Frohike rose to meet them. "We don't even know for sure, Byers said was going to see a guy about a CPU & the next thing we know, we're getting a call from the hospital." Frohike replied. "Forgive us if we're not much help, we're still in shock ourselves." Langley said as he pulled off his cap & ran his hands through his hair. "Mulder, I know you're thinking that someone is trying to get to you through your friends, but you should also entertain the possibility that Byers was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time." "But, this killer still has to be stopped, regardless weather or not Byers was his intended target." Mulder replied flatly as he left to get coffee for them both, Scully looked after him worriedly.

It was many hours before the doctor led them to Byers' room, the extensive tissue damage that could have only been caused by a bullet but neither they nor I could find any trace that a bullet ever passed through his body." Doctor Raymond said to Mulder & Scully in the waiting room later that evening. "I had a look at Byers' wounds & there is no trace of metal or gun powder, but the amount of tissue damage _points_ to a gunshot wound." Scully said as she, Mulder & Skinner walked to their cars. "But… that doesn't make sense." Skinner interjected. "I guess Byers dodged the bullet on this one." Mulder said, his dry humor returning as he gave her a boyish smile. But the guarded rise in hope was not to last, suddenly, Skinner's face contorted & he fell to the ground. "Mulder!" Scully yelled as Mulder rushed back into the hospital to fetch a doctor.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I OWN nothing & CLAIM nothing!!**

"I don't know what to say, Mr. Mulder. Mr. Skinner's vitals show a severe case of acetone poisoning, but the tox screen came back clean." A one Dr Myers said as Scully & Mulder stood to greet him. "If it's all right with you, Doctor, I'd like to conduct my own analysis on Mr. Skinner." "Actually, I was just about to suggest that." He replied. "I ran the test results three times, that's what took me so long &…" Scully said as Mulder met her in the lab later that day. "Three times, eh? I've never known you to second guess yourself more then once." Mulder said dryly, a shadow of a grin on his face. Scully shot him a look as she continued. "It just doesn't make since, Mulder. Everything about how his body is behaving points to acetone poisoning, but there is absolutely no trace of it in his system. In order to cause that much damage to the body, one would have to be given almost a lethal dose, one that would certainly show up in a tox screen." "So… what do you think?" Mulder pressed, urgency was leaking into his voice. "I… I don't know what to think… I'm completely stumped." Scully replied, Mulder thought for a moment before striding to the door. "Where are you going?" Scully called after him. "To enlist some help in this." His fading voice replied.

Scully was surprised to find Reyes & Dogget waiting with Mulder down in their office early the next morning. "I e-mailed them last night & told them about the case, they were nice enough to come all the way up here to help us." Mulder said as Scully shared a warm handshake with them. "It's very nice to see you two again; I just wish the circumstances were better. How's the X-Files Division down in New Mexico doing?" "Well… we've got Roswell & Area 51." Dogget said as he rolled his eyes. "What he means is that we run into a lot of… weird people." Reyes clarified. "Weird doesn't even begin to describe them; they devote their lives to this alien conspiracy crap." Dogget added. "What? You mean they're weirdoes like us?" Mulder said with a boyish grin. "Skinner's conscious, I think we should try to get some information." Scully said hesitantly, she hated to break up this light exchange because she knew they would be few & far between in this case.

"It must be tough if… you're here." Skinner said, his voice was barely audible. "Sir, do you remember experiencing a fruity odor or a sweet taste before you collapsed?" Scully asked. "No, I just remember severe pain in my stomach, then waking up here." Skinner replied. "Okay, that's enough questioning for now." The nurse said as he ushered them outside. "Someone that exhibits this level of symptoms would most surely have had an odd taste in their mouth, it just doesn't make sense." Scully said on their way back to their office. "It's not any more bazaar then Byers mysterious injuries." Mulder replied as he fumbled for his ringing phone. "Fox." A voice greeted him before he could even utter his signature _"Mulder."_ "Who is this?" He said suspiciously. "You'll find out soon enough, change course for your apartment."

Mulder was surprised to see Candace, the mind reader sitting with her feet propped on his coffee table. "I told you we'd be meeting again soon." She said. "You know it's dangerous for you to come back here." Mulder replied. "I know, but I'm not helpless, you know." She said. "It's nice to finally meet you, agents Reyes & Dogget; I see that you've made a lucrative career out of crackpot stories & outlandish claims." She said, Reyes smiled impressively, Dogget looked slightly sheepish. "Now enough pleasantries, about this case… I can help you catch him because I know who he is."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I OWN nothing & CLAIM nothing!**

"Excuse me, but how do you know that?" "Because I can zero in on the thoughts of any human in the world that I wish to, he's someone you know, Mulder. He blames you for his downfall & he enjoys seeing you & the ones close to you suffer." Candace said. "It's always nice to know that you touch so many people in this line of work." Mulder said, only Candace laughed at his dark humor. "I have always admired you're ability to see the funny side of even the most dire situation." She commented. "But do you know who he's going to strike next?" Dogget asked impatiently, Candace pointed directly at Scully. "When?" Mulder said, the worry was evident in his posture. "I don't know because he doesn't know he never knows until the last minute, he's surprisingly opportunistic. It would be something if you were able to catch him alive so he could be studied, his mind truly is… unique. But I don't see that happening."

"Mulder, I can't just abandon you like that… I won't." She said when they had arrived back at the office. "What is this I hear about Agent Scully's life being threatened?" Agent Smithers, who had been filing in for the ill Skinner said as he walked into Mulder's basement office as Mulder opened his mouth to reply. "How sure are you about it?" "About as sure as I' am about your stop at a certain x-rated video store last night, Agent Smithers." Candace spoke up. "H-how did you… never mind, I don't want to know. Agent Scully, you are going to be escorted home & you are to remain there until this maniac is caught."

Scully hung her work clothes in the closet with a tad more force then usual, even after an hour-long bath in lavender & chamomile bath oil, she was still a little steamed, she knew that this was procedure when an agent was threatened, she had ordered it herself a few times in her career. But she couldn't help but feel like the vulnerable female, a feeling she hated. She let out a deep sigh as she pulled out her lap top, at least she could use this as an opportunity to get some catch-up work done. She didn't even get one paragraph typed before the sound of breaking glass cut through the silence. Scully felt an intense burning in her chest; the last thing she saw before her vision failed her was the bright red color of blood seeping through her satin pajama top.

"Where is she?" Mulder said as he burst through the front doors of Virginia Memorial, Reyes & Dogget, who had, by chance been visiting Skinner when she came in, stood to meet him. "Sir, please! We have seriously ill patients here!" "Yes, my partner is one of them & I want to know where she is!" He said frantically as Skinner's doctor walked up amidst the commotion. "Mr. Mulder, if I may." He said as he motioned for Mulder to sit in one of the vacant chairs in the waiting room. "You're partner is still in surgery, but I will make sure that you are notified if anything changes." He said as he left them. Dogget & Reyes took a seat on either side of Mulder, unsure of what to say. Mulder leaned forward in his chair & rested his head in his hands. "I know this isn't going to be much consolation to you, but you will catch the person who did this to her." Candace's voice said from in front of him, Mulder suddenly leapt up from his seat. "Please tell me, is she going to be all right?" He said desperately as he gripped her shoulders & searched her face for some kind of conformation. "I'm sorry, Fox but I'm afraid that I don't know. Seeing into the future is beyond my capabilities." She said sadly as he sank back down into his chair. "The man you are looking for is a one Colonel Wharton, he used his voodoo… talents on the other victims, but for Scully he used the tried & true method of the sniper rifle."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I OWN nothing & CLAIM nothing!**

"Colonel Wharton… who is that?" Reyes said as she, Dogget & Candace trotted to keep up with Mulder's pace. "He was running a holding facility for refugees, where he was using his knowledge of Voodoo to torment them." "So… what happened to him?" Dogget asked. "I thought he was dead, when Scully & I came to, he was no where to be found. We conducted a three week long search that turned up nothing." Mulder said as the doctor, still in his surgical scrubs appeared to speak with them. "By the grace of a miracle, she made it through surgery. But we are keeping her in an induced coma, so don't expect much in way of response. You are welcomed to stay as long as you'd like, I have put a chair out for you."

Mulder hesitated a moment, preparing himself before venturing in; he always hated seeing her like this. "Scully?" He said hoarsely as he pulled the chair close to the bed & took her hand in his. "There are some doctors that believe that a comatose patient can hear what is said to them. If that is true, I hope that you can hear what I'm about to tell you. First I want to thank you for sticking by me through all of the conspiracies & cover-ups, murders & insane wild goose chases & for resisting my best ditching efforts, because it was those times that I needed you the most & didn't realize it. I know what you gave up to hunt aliens with your crack-pot partner, that's partly why I tried ditching you in the first place; I didn't want my work dragging you down." He said with a tearful chuckle as he made a feeble attempt at dry humor. "Now look where it's gotten you, again…I wish it was me that had gotten shot instead." He said, finally succumbing to his tears of grief & anguish as he hid his face in his hands. Outside the door, Reyes wiped the tears from her cheeks with her handkerchief as she looked to Dogget. "Let's nail this bastard, for them." She said.

Mulder awoke early the next morning with an uncomfortable crick in his neck from sleeping in his chair & the clammy feeling of dried tears on his face, he must have cried himself to sleep. "Ah, it's nice to see you back amongst the living, Agent Mulder. I was beginning to worry about you; there will be no changes until Doctor Raymond administers the drugs to bring her out of the coma & you should go home… but I know that you won't." She said with a knowing smile, Mulder smiled bashfully in return & excused himself to the bathroom to wash up. He returned to find that a plushy recliner-type chair had taken over the duties of its hard, plastic counterpart. "If you insist on staying here, you might as well be as comfortable as possible." the night nurse said as she left them.

There was a knock on the doorway & Candace walked in to join them. "So much pain, so much sorrow, so much grief; your soul is in such _torment_." She said as she gently placed her hand on the top of Mulder's head. "I deserve to be in torment." He said, tears welling in his eyes as he took Scully's limp hand in his. "As hard as this is for you to see right now, you didn't force this life choice on her, she made it herself, she was destined to make it, she is the reason you have come as far as you have. Like I said, nothing in this universe happens by chance or fluke, even though it may sometimes seem that way. Everything also has a reason, though it may not be immediately clear." She said as one of the lab techs stopped short of the doorway, clutching the stitch in his chest. "We… we found a positive match to a weapon from the bullet extracted from Scully, we have an address." He said breathlessly, Mulder looked to Candace, who smiled knowingly.

The FBI SWAT team led the way into the residence of Colonel Wharton, they found him sitting at his kitchen table, cleaning his weapon, & he was thoroughly surprised to see them as he was pushed against the wall & cuffed. "So, how does it feel, Mulder? To be _this_ close to losing everything!" He said, Mulder advanced on him in a rage, Dogget stepped into his path. "Don't, Mulder, he's not worth it. Just get back to Scully." "How is she?" Mulder said to Candace as he sank into the plushy chair. "The doctor administered the drug that should wake her up into her IV about an hour ago, he said that we have a twenty four hour window, if she doesn't wake, then it's doubtful that she ever will." Mulder ran his hands frustratingly through his hair as they began a bedside vigil.

Mulder sat bolt upright into the waking world to find the sun streaming through the blinds, its cheerfulness mocking him in his misery. He looked to Candace, who shook her head. "It was twenty four hours as of an hour ago." She said, downcast. "Scully…please… don't to this to me! I can't do this work without you… I won't!" He said as he gently cupped her face in his hands, he then watched, astonished as her eyes slowly opened. "Gotcha." She said with the hint of a smile, her voice barely above a whisper. Mulder's face broke into a huge grin as they embraced each other. "Oh, god Scully…don't do that to me!" Mulder said as the emotional burden finally became too much & he broke down in her arms. "I was careless, I shouldn't have sat in front of the window like that." She said as she gently rocked him in an effort to sooth him. "But if you had never been shot, the FBI would have never been able to trace him to his home; it was possible because of the bullet they pulled out of you." Candace said as she stood. "Now I'm afraid I must be going, they are on to me. I' am very glad that you are going to make a full recovery, Agent Scully." She said in parting, neither Mulder nor Scully bothered to ask how she knew that.

"Mulder I don't really think all this is necessary." Scully said as he led her into her apartment with a protective, guiding hand at her elbow. "I know its not, I want to." He replied as he opened the door for her. "You know, Mulder, I think that your talking to me is what helped me get better, so I could be able to tell you how much I appreciate hearing it." She said as they sat on the couch. "I'm glad you heard, because I doubt that I could repeat it, it all kind of tumbled out." He replied as he drew her into a warm embrace. "Just don't do that to me again, okay? I don't think I could… go on without you." "Oh, I don't think you have to worry about that, I have a feeling that I'm going to be around for a long time." Scully replied as she laid her head against his chest, taking comfort in his heartbeat.

In a random small village half way around the world, Candace smiled from under her wide brimmed hat & thick, black sunglasses. "If only you knew how right you are, Dana Scully." She whispered to herself as she strolled down the narrow, bustling market street out of sight.


End file.
